THE new GCSE 9-to-1 grading system has caused confusion, but the chairman of Bolton Learning Alliance has called on people not to focus on this year’s ‘meaningless’ headline figures but to celebrate the individual achievements of pupils who have “worked incredibly hard”.

Students in Bolton will be among the first to receive their GCSE English, English Literature and maths marks under the new numerical system. Nine is the highest grade obtainable and four is said to be equivalent to the C-grade. Other subjects will change over in the next two years.

The changes in the grading system mean that previous results will no longer be comparable.

Schools in Bolton have said they will only release the overall percentage of pupils achieving nine to four.

Phil Hart, chairman of Bolton Learning Alliance, and head of Westhoughton High School, said: “We have collectively agreed what schools will publish is the percentage of English, English literature and maths four-plus. That is the only statistic that is comparable in any shape or form.

“Results as a whole will not be comparable for three years and as such the headline figure is meaningless and it does not reflect the actual achievements of the school.”

He added: “In effect what the numerical system has done has put more grades at the top to, in their speak, differentiate at the top end.

“We have done quite a lot work with our parents to brief them and haven’t taken the opportunity to speak to employers — but this is the tip of the iceberg, it is something that needs to be dealt with centrally.”

Mr Hart said it had been recognised nationally that the system was in a period of ‘volatility’ and there would be turbulence in the coming years over the grades.

He said: “We get, what we call in education, a sawtooth effect. This means whenever there is a new qualification the national figure in the first year will drop, the following year it will go up because staff are familiar with it.

“GCSEs are harder so we expect this year there to be a drop nationally and then creep up in successive years, but just how far that goes, nobody knows.

“We have to celebrate the successes of the individual student, the staff who have worked incredibly hard on their behalf and what we cannot do is not get hung up on the central performance indicators because that negates what education is about, which is about educating children.

“Behind every statistic there is a personal story, it is important in chasing stats we do not lose sight of these personal journeys.

“We have to celebrate and champion their efforts and the staff who have worked extremely hard.”

Supporters have argued the move is necessary to allow more differentiation between students, but there have been concerns raised over a lack of clarity about the new system.

More than £380,000 of public money has been spent on telling schools, students and employers about changes to GCSEs.

Labour’s Lucy Powell, a member of the education select committee, has previously said that parents, business and pupils remain unclear on what these new GCSE grades mean in practice. Other GCSE reforms include a move away from students taking exams throughout the qualification towards taking papers at the end of the two-year courses.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “Every school and college has recently been sent a pack with information for teachers, pupils and parents.We have also published fact sheets for employers, parents, FE colleges and universities and launched a public campaign.”

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